Trinitarian Theology and the Filioque Debate

Flashcards testing core concepts, historical councils, key patristic terms, and arguments presented in the Trinitarian theology debate regarding the Filioque.

What is the key debate topic presented in Chapter 1 regarding the Holy Spirit's existence?

The debate is about whether the Holy Spirit has His existence from the Father alone or whether He has His existence from the Father and the Son.

How is the Greek term ekporeusis defined in Greek Patristics?

It refers to the hypostatic or existence procession of the Holy Spirit, which is from the Father alone.

How is the Greek term proienai defined in relation to procession?

It means to progress and refers to the manifestation of the divine energies of the Holy Spirit from the Father and through the Son.

What are the three distinct types of procession mentioned in the lecture?

Existence procession, economic procession, and energetic procession (also known as eternal manifestation).

What distinguishes economic procession from energetic procession?

Economic procession refers to the temporal sending of the Spirit, whereas energetic procession refers to the eternal inner-Trinitarian activities between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

How does the Council of Blachernae define energetic procession?

As the eternal manifestation of the Spirit through the Son, not the purely personal emanation into being of the Spirit, which has His existence from the Father.

How did Pope Saint Leo III respond to the Carolingian theologians pushing for the Filioque?

He wrote the Creed in Latin and in Greek on two silver shields without the Filioque as a sign of confessing the true and unified faith.

What was Saint Photius's primary argument against making the Son a cause of the Holy Spirit?

If being a cause is a hypostatic property, making the Son a cause makes Him hypostatically identical with the Father (semi-modalism); if being a cause is proper to the essence, the Spirit is excluded from that communion and thus not divine.

According to Saint Gregory the Theologian, what non-transferable property distinguishes the Father from the Son and Holy Spirit?

The Father's property is being unbegotten (and being the only cause), the Son is begotten, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

In the Orthodox presentation, what does the Greek word dia (through) signify when used regarding the Holy Spirit proceeding through the Son?

It indicates that the Spirit abides in the Son and manifests the Son's divine energy, having the meaning of being an effect rather than an additive causal effect.

According to the Scholastic presentation, what are the three main proofs offered to demonstrate the Filioque?

1) The hypostatic property of the Spirit is His dependence on the Son; 2) The distinction between the properties of the Spirit and Son is found in the mediation of the Son; 3) The Son is taught by earlier Fathers to be an aitia (cause) of the Spirit.

How does the Scholastic presenter reconcile Fathers who say the Father alone is cause with Fathers who describe the Son as cause?

By distinguishing between a primordial cause (which belongs to the Father alone) and a mediated cause or general principle/hypostatic origin (which includes the Son).